The Arena
The Arena is the thirteenth level in Orcs Must Die!. The Pounder is introduced here. This map was remade for 's Classic Mode, a set of levels available to players who purchased before purchasing the sequel. Stage Description A square-shaped map with gates at the north and west side, and rifts along the east and south side. Each corner has an elevated ledge and the center has a similarly raised platform. You can reach these upper levels through portals located at the north-western and south-eastern points of the map. Mob Waves (War Mage) Enemies Encountered: Orc Warriors, Crossbow Orcs, Kobold Runners, and Ogres 1. North: Orc Warriors 2. West: Orc Warriors 3. Both: Kobold Runners Go Break 4. North: Crossbow Orcs, Warrior Orcs 5. West: Crossbow Orcs, Warrior Orcs 6. Both: Crossbow Orcs & Warrior Orcs, Kobold Runners Go Break 7. Both: Crossbow Orcs and Warrior Orcs 8. Both: Crossbow Orcs & Warrior Orcs 9. Both: Ogre & Warrior Orcs Go Break 10: Both: Kobold Runners, Shield Orcs & Crossbow Orcs; Ogre, Crossbow Orcs & Warrior Orcs Walkthrough (War Mage) The key to completing this map is in cordonning off the right-hand portion through barricades. Place two barricades between the first two pillars to the right of the north gate. Then block off the space between the second pillar to the center column with three barricades, placing a barricade corner to corner with the center column so that you may put arrow walls later on. Finally, block off the center to the south-western side by placing three barricades corner to corner, placing one barricade directly in the space between the two pillars of the south-western elevated ledge. That makes 8 barricades in all and one unique route for all the mobs to take. With Steel Weaver Pick Crossbow, Wind Belt, Spike Trap, Barricade, Tar Trap, Elf Archer, Arrow Walls and Pounder. You start off with a very confused orc mob that'll mill about trying to find a path, so pick off as many as you can with headshots. Pick the Death Augmenter upgrade and place archers up the center platform, facing the gates; they should prioritize the Kobold Runners but keep an eye out for any that would escape. Place plenty of spike traps by the gates so as to force crossbow orcs into moving rather than firing. Nonetheless, you should prioritize them with your crossbow fire. Defend your final alcove by the southern rift with Pounders between the final two pillars, tar traps between them and two more pulled further back. Wind blast orcs that go too far, setting up arrow walls over where they should land. Set up more arrow walls on the central platform facing both gates and on whichever pillars you'd think would fit: you're a lot more dependant on the Jagged Steel upgrade than the Burning Pitch. Then again, you could do the whole map with archers alone for a couple of achievements (in which case, place archers on the northwestern elevated ledge so as to form a crossfire). Add extra spike traps on heavily threaded areas. With Elemental Weaver Pick Crossbow, Wind Belt, Blade Staff, Flame Bracers, Barricade, Tar Trap, Elf Archer and Pounder. Use the fire bracer's alt-fire (flame barrier) to thin the mobs right off from the gate for the first few waves. Place Tar Traps by the gates; your main strategy will be to stand from on top of the central platform and blast whole bunches of orcs stuck to your tar traps with one big fireball. Gaining the Blinding Stun upgrade let's you stun and build up even greater masses of orcs for a massive killstreak! Gain the Mana Conservation upgrade soon enough and you're in business! Otherwise, place archers on the southeastern platform along with tar traps and pounders by the exit of the southwestern corner so as to finish off stragglers and Kobold Runners. Gain the Charged Weapons upgrade and never worry about mana: you can always wind blast orcs against a wall and finish them off with your blade staff. Mob Waves (Nightmare) Enemies Encountered: Shield Orcs, Crossbow Orcs, Kobold Runners, Kobold Sappers, Gnoll Hunters and Ogres 1. North: Shield Orcs, Kobold Runners 2. Both: Shield Orcs, Kobold Runners; North: Kobold Runners 3. Both: Kobold Runners, Gnoll Hunter 4. North: Shield Orcs & Crossbow Orcs; West: Shield Orcs, Kobold Runners 5. North: Shield Orcs, Kobold Runners; West: Shield Orcs & Crossbow Orcs 6. Both: Shield Orcs & Crossbow Orcs, Gnoll Hunter 7. Both: Shield Orcs x2, Gnoll Hunter 8. North: Shield Orcs x2; West: Shield Orcs, Ogre 9. North: Kobold Runners, Shield Orcs, Kobold Sappers, Ogre; West: Kobold Runners, Shield Orcs, Crossbow Orcs, Ogre Walkthrough (Nightmare) Build your barricades in the same manner as you would on War Mage difficulty despite the threat of Kobold Sappers. Fact is, they only appear on the last wave and from one specific gate so they can be dealt with in advance. With Steel Weaver Select Crossbow, Wind Belt, Lightning Ring, Elf Archer, Spike Trap, Arrow Wall, Boom Barrel, Barricade, Grinder and Coin Forge. Take the Death Augmenter upgrade. Place a coinforge in the corner under the southwest alcove, with a boom barrel roughly in the middle. Use the wind blast to blow back orcs trying to exit towards the rift into the corner where detonating the barrel will result in a huge profit. Use the money for a grinder/barricade by the exit then climb on the central column for wave 3: Kobold Runners never jam up the grinder (in my experience) and the Gnoll Hunters will be helpless to reach you. Take your sweet time in placing loads of archers facing both gates. Start placing many spike traps in front of both gates and arrow walls in the corner of the southwest alcove (hopefully saving the need for more boom barrels). Prioritize crossbow orcs with your lightning bolts. Add more arrow walls on the central column, facing both gates. You will want the Jagged Steel upgrade first, then Burning Pitch. There's only one group of Kobold Sappers and they all come out of the northern gate during the last wave: place at least three rows of tar traps past the spike traps: between your archers and arrow walls this should prevent them from causing structural damage. An alternative strategy for the Kobold Sappers is to stand in the northwest alcove just before they spawn. Only the sappers will come in there, and it is easy to pick them off while keeping them away from barricades. With Knowledge Weaver Select Crossbow, Wind Belt, Lightning Ring, Fire Bracers, Elf Archer, Tar Trap, Pounder, Barricade, Grinder and Coin Forge. Plant a coinforge in the corner of the southwest alcove and two more in front of the west gate. Drop lightning storms over the coinforges and wind blast escaping orcs back into the storm. Build your grinder/barricade combo by the rift exit and your archers over the central column, mostly facing the northern gate. You want to get the Spell Magnification upgrade ASAP and spend most of your time on the center platform, flinging fireballs and lightning bolts from above and into unsuspecting mobs. Build another grinder/barricade combo by the other opening of the southwest alcove and the Trap Linkage upgrade should turn those mobs that escape you into a viable mana source. As always, prioritize crossbow orcs with your lightning bolts and build up tar traps over the northern gate. Set pounders over the southwest coinforge and wind blast mobs into harm's way. This is a fun map in which to get all of your upgrades; the Rift Sentience has an excellent range and will actually pick off orcs by the west gate. With Elemental Weaver Select Crossbow, Wind Belt, Blade Staff, Ice Amulet, Lightning Ring, Elf Archer, Tar Trap, Barricade, Grinder and Coin Forge. Much like the Knowledge Weaver strategy but instead of shooting fireballs from above you freeze and smash through the orcs at ground level. This works because of life-giving rifts that are easy to reach and the Adrenaline Rush upgrade. With Firestorm giving free kills off a lightning bolt and Charged Weapons giving you free mana for your kills, you're pretty much set to destroy everything. Mind the Kobold Sappers, though. In Level Description General: * Entrance Doors: 2 * Exit Rifts: 2 * Waves: 10 * Rift Points: 20 (Nightmare: 10) * Completion Time (par): 13:20 * Starting Money: 7000 Strategy Category:Orcs Must Die!